Jasper County Democrat, Volume 2, Number 6, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 20 May 1899 — WASHINGTON LETTER. [ARTICLE]

WASHINGTON LETTER.

fFrom our regular correspondent.) The administration has not datkhofeestly with the country in i regard to the volunteers in the Philippines. It has given out one thing about bringing home these men, who have worked and fought bo continuously that many of them are now unfit for duty, when it knew that another thing was to be : doae. It has told the country that Gen. Otis has been ordered to send the volunteers home as fast as transportation could be secured for them, when Otis had really been instructed to keep the volunteers as long as he needed them and could make them appear to stay willingly. This has been suspected for some time, but when \ two transports left Manila for San . Francisco last week/with only sick and wounded men aboard, and two more with no soldiers aboard, it became a certainty. It is now privately acknowledged by membersofthe adnfinistration that it had, from the first, been the intention of Otis to keep the volunteers until the Filipinos surrendered, and that bluff about bringing them home as fast as vessels could ibe made available was thrown out because it was thought that the surrender would occur before there would be any opportunity to send them home. A government of the people can never add to its strength or popularity by deceiving the people. Every such deception is an impugnment of the patriotism of the people. The disappointment felt in administration circles over the failure of the expected surrender of Aguinaldo to materialize is so acute that it cannot be hidden, and officials who have been so gfib for several weeks past, in predicting the speedy finish of Aguinaldo. cannot now be coaxed to talk about the probabilities over thereat all. • • a Mr. McKinley still holds to his policy of rewarding the gold democrats for making him President. The census plum given to Ohio was the appointment of Gen. Americus V. Rice, by direct order of Mr. McKinley, .to be purchasing agent of the Census Bureau. : Hon. E. L Russell, President of fte Mobile and Ohio Railroad, who is visiting Washington, thinks the chances for the promotion ~of Hon. John M. Allen (“Private John Allen of Tupelo”) from the House ;o the Senate are and he has circulated among the people of Mississippi sufficiently to be weß posted. He said: “The people of bis state appreciating Mr. Allen's merit and long and useful career in the House, mean to proaaote him, and in so doing, they will honor themselves.” • * * Admiral Schley has accepted an i invitation from ex-Senator Man- : demon to pay him a visit, at his i Nebraska borne, and will leave for I the West at once. He will probI ably take advantage of the opportunity, while in that section, to visit a number of other Western points, to which he has been cordially invited. »* * * If the idea of a popular subscription tef buy a Washington home for Admiral Dewey is as well re- : eeived all over the country as it baa been in Washington, enough money is likely to be subscribed ■to buy him a whole town, instead lof a single house Dewey has notified the Navy Department that i he will leave Manila in a few days, i and will get to the U. S. in about four months, which indicates his i intention to make the homeward voygga in a very leisurely manner, as the trip could easily be made inride <rf two months. His friends say that the Admiral wishes to give himself a chance to get good and strong and the cool weather of fall to arrive before he tackles the ovations which he knows await him in this country. Dewey is a long-headed chap. • * * Ex-Representative Hartman, of Montana, who voluntarily retired from Congress at the close of the last session. is in Washingtou. He says the wish was father to the story that the silver republicans of his section were not friendly to the re-nomination of Col. Bryan, and that Col. Bryan has taken exactly the right position towards those who bolted the Chicago con venation; that the silver republicans who bolted McKinley ’s nomina-1 lion and platform and supported Bryan would have just as much right to attempt to dictate to the republicans as the gold democrats have to dictate to the democrats. Continning he said: ‘ I would as soon think of going to Mark Hanna for information as to democipira, as They are both supporters of the same interests, advocates of the

same financial policy, and brother opponents of the producing and wage-earning classes of the U. 8.” Mr. Hartman thinks that if the election was this year, instead of next, there would be no doubt of the tickets being headed by Bryan and McKinley again, and expects that will be anyway. Speaking of next year’s democratic platform, he said:, “The three most prominent features in the platform, in my judgement* will be, first, its declaration on the money question, which will include a reaffimation of the Chicago platform, a declaration for independent bimetallism, against the retirement of the greenbacks, against interestbearing bonds, and against transferring to the banks the right to issue or control the issue of paper money; second, a strong declaration againsts trusts, and third, an-ti-imperialism,”